Ashley Mackey, Vista Murrieta Sr. Was a 2007 Southwestern
finalist, helped Broncos to a third-place finish in league

Keyt O'Neal, Paloma Valley Sr. Won the Sunbelt finals last
season and helped the Wildcats to league title

Jamie Raney, Murrieta Valley Sr. Will play an important role if
Murrieta Valley is to repeat as league champions

Meghan Sheehan-Dizon, Murrieta Valley Sr. Was a vital part of
the Nighthawks Southwestern League crown in 2008

Hannah Stone, Great Oak Sr. Finished runner up in Southwestern
finals last season

Madison Wesseln, Linfield Christian Jr. Helped the Lions to a
second-place finish in Christian League last season

LEAGUE CAPSULES

Southwestern League

Murrieta Valley will return three solid singles players from
last season, and will be looking to repeat as Southwestern League
champions after going undefeated in league play in 2008. Senior
Jamie Raney, along with juniors Meghan Sheehan-Dizon and Kristen
Hibbs, will bring experience ---- along with talent ---- to the
singles spots. The No. 1 doubles team will team youth with
experience as senior Nicole Alvarez will play with promising
freshman Malonii Papalii. Murrieta Valley made it to the second
round of the Southern Section team tournament last season before
losing to eventual champion Palm Desert. Head coach Trent Warren
said the key to Murrieta Valley's success this year will be its
health. ... Great Oak finished second in the Southwestern League
last season, and looks to remain near the top again in 2009. The
Wolfpack will have to do so without two-time Southwestern League
individual champion Haley Dixon, who will not play in her senior
season due to injury, and Amber Nelson, who transferred in the
beginning of the season. Great Oak will rely on senior Hannah
Stone, who last year showcased great ability, finishing runner-up
to Dixon in the league tournament. Senior Neela Anwar will also be
depended on to earn points in the single sets for the Wolfpack. The
junior team of Torri Anderson and Farah Anwar, along with the
senior team of Hailey Jures and Katelin Duty, will be the main
doubles threats this year for the Wolfpack. Great Oak has played a
very challenging nonleague schedule, and head coach Ray Fisher
hopes it will prepare his team for a very tough Southwestern
League. Great Oak was defeated on the road by Chadwick in the first
round of the team playoffs last season. ... Vista Murrieta returns
senior Ashley Mackey and junior Katelyn Abayan, both of whom were
we all Southwestern League players last season. The Broncos
finished third in the Southwestern League last year with a 6-4
record, and made it to the second round of the team playoffs for
the third consecutive season. The doubles teams of Katie Stowe and
Amanda Mosestre, along with Tara Johnson and Kendell Anderson, will
add some depth to the Broncos' lineup. ... Chaparral had a solid
preseason, going 7-1 before entering league play, and head coach
Chad Spitler said the team is one of the strongest he has coached
at the school. Senior Maddie Caropino will lead the Pumas in the
No. 1 singles, while senior Laurie Minter will add experience on
the doubles side of the court. The doubles team of seniors Michelle
Weston and Christine Robinson will also be depended on to earn sets
for the Pumas. Chaparral went 4-6 last season in league. ...
Temecula Valley is looking to improve after a 2008 season that saw
the Golden Bears win only three matches. Temecula Valley has
bolstered its singles lineup with juniors Kelsey Stockton and
Katherine London, along with sophomore Megan Trippet. In nonleague
action earlier this season, the Bears suffered narrow defeats by
established programs Riverside Poly and Corona Centennial, but head
coach Rich Emard sees the results as a positive change, and said
this year's squad is much improved. Temecula has been experimenting
in the early part of the season with its doubles teams, but
currently looks like it will depend on the team of senior Megan
Collins and junior Chrissie Orzechowski, along with the junior
tandem of Samantha Olieas and Izzy Epinoza. ... Temescal Canyon
will be led by returning sophomore Louise Dequilla and promising
freshman Fiorella Coria. Dequilla was an all-league selection in
2008 and made it to the quarters of the Southwestern League finals,
while Coria is currently ranked in the Southern California
under-16s. The Titans will also hope to get help from newcomers
Katie Kennedy and Taylor Toups. Temescal hopes that its developing
players will help improve the team, which went an overall 9-9 in
2008. This will be the Titans' last year in the Southwestern
League.

Sunbelt League

Paloma Valley, the 2008 Sunbelt League champions, graduated
seven of its nine players from last year's squad, but return senior
Keyt O'Neal. O'Neal was the Sunbelt League singles champion last
season, and helped the Wildcats to the quarterfinals of the
Division V team playoffs before losing to eventual winners
Arlington. Paloma will also depend on points from senior Andrea
Hartley, who will play the No. 2 singles after being an all-league
doubles player in 2008. ... Hemet, which went an overall 15-5 last
year, will be led by senior doubles player Ketaki Panse and
sophomore singles player Tori Hall. The Bulldogs made it to the
second round of the Division V team playoffs last season. ...
Elsinore finished 4-4 in 2008, which was good for third in the
Sunbelt League. The Tigers were able to advance into the main draw
of the Division V playoffs with a 10-8 win over Rancho Verde in the
wild-card round. Lakeside and West Valley both had challenging
league schedules last season, and might once again be in for an
uphill battle in the difficult Sunbelt League.

Christian League

Linfield Christian had a very promising preseason, compiling an
undefeated record with wins against Vista Murrieta, Elsinore and
Temescal Canyon. The Lions will rely heavily on senior doubles of
Kristy Ness and Rachael Kirkpatrick, as well as its No. 1 singles
player junior Madison Wesseln. Junior Annaliisa McCrea, who was the
league's doubles MVP last season, will also play an important role
for the Lions this season in the No. 2 singles spot. Linfield
graduated only one of its seniors from last years team, which
finished second in the Christian League behind Ontario Christian,
but advanced to the second round of the Division V team
tournament.